Team Polti VisitMalta, an attacking first week at the Giro with “red numbers” and breakaways

In the first week of the Giro d’Italia, Team Polti VisitMalta has made its name, colours, sponsors and identity stand out like no other. Excluding the time trial, which follows a different dynamic, the squad has gone on the attack from afar in 5 out of the 7 road stages raced so far. In each of those stages, a Polti VisitMalta rider was awarded the combativity prize, which earns the right to wear the “red bib number” the next day: 3 times it was Alessandro Tonelli (twice in Albania and again two days ago in Abruzzo) who also leads both the intermediate sprint and breakaway classifications, once Fran Muñoz (his solo adventure in Apulia after returning to Italy) and once Davide Bais on Wednesday en route to Matera.

In the long and rainy stage into Naples the strategic decision was to stay compact and support Giovanni Lonardi, who sprinted to an excellent 5th place. Yesterday, on the steep climbs of the Marche region, the team still showed an aggressive mindset: GC man Piganzoli and Tonelli passed first over the opening KOM, before Mattia Bais tried to bridge to the breakaway after 90 km of intense racing. As Ivan Basso often points out, this way of racing builds experience and self-confidence in pursuit of the best results. But the best is yet to come: today come the Sienese gravel roads, and then the second and third weeks of the Giro. Thirteen more opportunities to chase and deliver emotions aboard our “volcanic” AURUM MAGMA bikes.